Business

Economists and business leaders at a seminar here on Wednesday laid emphasis on identifying problems behind the slow progress of the PPP plan and prioritising projects under it to ensure maximum success in project implementation. They said it would be better to go ahead with hopes and solutions without getting

Chittagong Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday urged the labour minister to ratify the Maritime Labour Convention-2006 that the International Labour Organisation had adopted long ago. CCCI president Mahabubul Alam in a letter sent to labour and employment minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju on the day said that entrance to overseas ports of as many as ... Read more

Bangladesh Bank on Wednesday asked the scheduled banks to keep open their branches dealing with the country’s garment industries on August 6 so that the owners can pay the salaries and wages to their workers and employees through the banks. To this end, the BB issued a circular to managing directors and chief executives

The National Board of Revenue has decided to provide tax exemption on donations that will go to Gandhi Ashram Trust located in Noakhali, officials of the NBR said. At its board meeting held on Tuesday, the NBR made the decision considering the Trust as a non-profitable social and service-oriented

An official business delegation from Russia will visit Bangladesh in the first week of September to discuss prospects of bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries, said Russian ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander A Nikolaev in Dhaka on Wednesday. The delegation headed by the deputy minister for industry and trade ministry will

Bangladesh Garment Safety Europe retailers agree to join US buyers under unified action plan European retailers on Tuesday agreed to work together with North American buyers to ensure safe and sustainable garment industry in Bangladesh under a unified code of conduct for garment units. The visiting delegation of EU Accord on Fire and Building Safety ... Read more

The board of directors of Bangladesh Bank on Tuesday expressed concern about the rise of the capital shortfall in the four state-owned banks to Tk 9,641 crore as on March 31, 2013. The capital shortfall in the banks increased as the banks kept a large amount of provision against their classified loans, said BB officials

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission is likely to defer the 3G auction, scheduled to be held on September 2, by around 10 days, said BTRC officials. They said the top officials of the mobile phone companies had met the BTRC chairman on Tuesday, requesting him to delay the auction unless the tax disputes with

Mobile phone operators will get tax exemption for the money they will pay the government as 3G spectrum fees as the National Board of Revenue has decided to provide the operators with amortisation benefits for the fees, officials of the NBR said on Tuesday. Under the amortisation scheme, mobile operators will be allowed to show ... Read more

The Exporters Association of Bangladesh on Tuesday demanded withdrawal of a government decision halting the movement of trucks, covered vans and lorries on the highways for seven days from August 5 on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. The government should withdraw the decision for the sake of uninterrupted export and

The ministry of agriculture is not willing to get involved in the process of introducing ‘crop insurance’ terming it ‘unfeasible’ for the millions of farmers, officials said. ‘It has a financial implication. It cannot be dealt by our ministry. So we’re actually unwilling to get involved with the matter,’ a senior official of the agriculture

Dhaka stocks dropped on Tuesday in volatile trading as investors offloaded shares with four trading sessions remaining ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the biggest religious festivals for Muslims. DSEX, the benchmark general index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, declined to 3,957.20 points, shedding 0.45 per cent or 17.92 points

Bangladesh’s microfinance institutions successfully averted a microcredit crisis from 2008 to 2010, according to a new report on ‘Averting a Microcredit Crisis in Bangladesh’ released Tuesday by the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor. The report titled ‘CGAP Study: Slowing Growth Key to Avoiding a Microcredit Crisis

Square Pharmaceuticals managing director Tapan Chowdhury has been elected the president of Bangladesh Employers’ Federation for the years 2013-2015. A former adviser to a caretaker government, he is also a former president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka, said

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission has recently formed a committee to formulate a guideline for acquisition and merger of the listed companies. The decision was taken at the commission’s 478th meeting presided over by chairman M Khairul Hossain. The three-member committee will be headed by BSEC executive director

Bangladesh Accreditation Board has attained full capacity to award accreditation certificates in favour of testing laboratory and calibration laboratory, officials said on Tuesday. They said these two types of laboratories would no longer require certificates from foreign institutions, which will help entrepreneurs get accreditation certificates

INVESTMENT IN SAVINGS TOOLS Govt gets Tk 773cr against target of Tk 7,400cr in FY13 The government in the just concluded fiscal year collected only Tk 772.84 crore or 10.44 per cent of the annual target of Tk 7,400 crore in investment in the national savings certificates and bonds. Officials of the Bangladesh Bank said ... Read more

Some BTRC officials fear syndication in bidding Mobile phone operators have mounted pressure on the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission to change further 3G auction procedures. But BTRC officials attributed the pressure to an apparent bid to manipulate the bidding. Officials of four operators — Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi

DSE, CSE DEMUTUALISATION Bourses submit schemes to BSEC proposing 19-member board The Dhaka and Chittagong stock exchanges on Monday submitted their respective demutualisation schemes to the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission with a proposal of downsizing their boards to 19 for the existing 25 members. BSEC acting chairman Helal Uddin Nizami, also a commissioner

Workers rights groups are calling on retailers to use a legally binding deal to improve safety for clothes factory workers in Bangladesh as a blueprint for tackling similar problems elsewhere, reports Guardian. IndustriALL, the international union group which is